Author
Topic: The Ancestor Cult (Read 16621 times)

Never-Ending Silence stood still, darkly magnificent and powerful. His hair was silver with a single black streak, his skin white like that of a newly dead corpse. His lips and the areas around his eyes were black and the irises of his eyes were a purple-red color that brought the only sort of color to him except for his sleeves of bright bloody-red silk. Over body wrappings and finely adorned clothing of black and grey silks, he wore glittering armor black as night, adorned with bleached bones. His cloak was woven from his own funeral wrappings. The cavern around him echoed with the sound of dripping water.Suddenly, a woman appeared, a simple form, elegantly empty in it's seductiveness, with only the barest of curves. The face was empty of emotion, eyes black like voids.The ghost-woman spoke, bowing low before Never-Ending Silence. "Oh, great Death-Knight, He Who Commands Death, Honor of His Mistress, I, Seven Murder's Daughter, beg your favor and the favor of your mistress..."Never-Ending Silence cut her off. "Shut up. I know you grovel before me. You would not have called for us otherwise. Now, my mistress appreciates brief-ness. Tell me of your proposal."The ghost nodded. "Apologies, oh greatest Master of the Dead. I represent the dead of the Plain of Steel Ash, who propose alliance between us and your mistress, that we might be rampart against his Dark Majesty, the First and Night-Crowned Wolf. Even now, he rests his fortress of Quietus upon the border of our home."Never-Ending Silence smirked, gazing down upon this small ghost. Before she died, she might have been, perhaps, eighteen, just barely a young woman. "What is it that you seek from us, spectre? We will not come to field against another of my mistress's kind.""We do not expect this from you, dark master. Nothing will stop the First and Night-Crowned Wolf from destroying our nation. Indeed, only your mistress and the others hold him from taking all of the Underworld. No, Death-Knight. What we ask is that you shield us from the storm through other means. Surely your mistress has access to the Living World?" said the ghost-woman, turning her emotionless face toward him."Indeed." intoned Never-Ending Silence. "Fine. I see your aim, spirit." The Death-Knight turned, waving his hand to summon his demon servants. The servants, red-furred, ape-like erymanthoi, leapt from the shadows, snarling at the spectre. "Don't mistake the intentions of my mistress, ghost. We hold no allegiance to such low-born dead. We help you merely because we oppose the First and Night-Crowned Wolf. Beasts!," he called to the erymanthoi, "Take me from this Underworld into the Living Lands!"

Mona woke up in a cold sweat. She'd been dreaming again. It was much the same thing. That frightening looking man, resembling nothing so much as a newly dead corpse, was a mainstay in her dreams. Had been since she was six. Sometimes there were other people in the dreams, like tonight. There had been an emotionless looking woman, and seemed to be asking a favor of the man. And then there were the beasts. The dreams frightened her, but she didn't dare tell anyone. She'd done that once, when the dreams had first started. It started a panic among the villagers, and attracted far, far too much attention from people who scared Mona almost as much as the dreams. She'd learned not to do that again.Now, her only confidant was Jericho. But she had learned that the dreams sometimes meant things. So, sometimes, she could predict things. That had earned her the grudging respect of her neighbors, and she frankly suspected that was why they put up with her, even though she was widely considered a reclusive eccentric.She could still remember the man's words at the end of the dream, what had woken her up. Take me from this Underworld into the Living Lands! The lean cat wandered over, purring. She stroked his fur absently."I dreamed again. And... and I think that something is coming, Jericho. I don't know if it's good or bad. But something is coming."

Jericho only purred as he sat up and streched his long limbs only to sit and stare at Mona allowing his clever eyes to peer into her own. He was tranfixed as if by looking in to her eyes he to could see the very dream that she to had wittnessed. As many would guess Jericho was no ordinary cat. He possesed a certain amout of intelect that reached further even than that of Mona's imagination. He need only to wait for the right time to make known his abilities...

It was raining and cheet had been standing in the gaurd towers for 8 hours now and the wet cow manure had just started to smell. Cheet was barly 15 and armor barely fit. he wanted more out of life than what he had now, to be like his dad that was his dream. if only he where still alive, cheet would also have been in the royal army butt his dreams where shatterd after the great war. now he lived alone. with no one to care for him.

(OOC: note to all cheet died, my comp wasn't working and he was left behind)

Shadow-Walker picked up the chicken bones and threw then again to the ground."This simply cannot be happening, not yet, im still not ready". He went outside to check the stars and the evening sky confirmed what the bones had told him, the dead had decided to come to the living world. The shaman went inside and picked up a cloak and his staff and he went out to find several herbs which he had run out but never had the time to collect.He walked quickly into the forest, "had i known this earlier i would have been ready, strange this time there where no indications no signs, this is not a good omen, not at all."He touched the point of the staff and it became on fire, a small contained fire which was meant to provide him with light as he looked for the right herbs."I would have sworn i had another year before the ghosts came to this lands, i knew there was a war ragging but i didnt expect it to become so big in such a short time. Anyway it was all a matter of getting the right alliance like i have done so many times before this one... all a matter of alliances....."

Logged

There are only two unlimited things:The universe and human stupidity,and I'm not so sure about the universe.

Jericho nudged Mona's arm conforting her. He too had seen the dream in which Mona had herself witnessed. Sensing that Mona was still distraught; Jericho knew that the time now was most grave and that it was now that he must .......... comunicate with her..... he left her side and went to the edge of the bed from which they had still not stepped out of. With his back still facing her he spoke ,

......." Never should a person, any person, suffer as you have suffered Mona. "

"Bothersome." Never-Ending Silence said irritably, scraping the claws of his gauntlet across the fine blackwood table.A spectre, draped in black silks, bowed low before him, sobbing piteously. "Greatest death-knight, had we known that the forest tribes had changed their allegiances, we would not have sent Mnatharcos as our messenger! Many apologies, death-knight! We had no way of knowing!" he sniveled, tears dribbling from his ethereal eyes.The death-knight stared silently across the table at the ghost, contemplating the ridiculous creature. All ghosts were this way, just like this, this, emotional, dramatic fool. Except for some, like the ghostly girl who had appeared to him on that one day."Get out of my sight, you useless, sniveling wretch." Never-Ending Silence growled, chopping the air horizontally with his gauntleted hand. "Never have I seen such stupidity!"I am surrounded by idiots. he thought, watching the spirit crawl dumbly out of the chamber. Can nobody in this accursed living land do anything right?!

Mona started as someone spoke. How could someone have gotten in without her knowing? For that matter, who would sneak in in the middle of the night? Then she suddenly realized that she hadn't heard the voice. Not really. No. Not possible. She stared long and hard at Jericho. It couldn't be. Those accursed nightmares must have finally driven her mad. Or she was hallucinating from lack of sleep again. But that didn't seem right. If she was mad, something like this would have occured long before now. And her hallucinations were always much, much worse. Why the hell not? And does it really matter either way? Finally she said, "Was that you, Jericho?"

The sun was almost up when Shadow Walker returned to his house with the right herbs. He immediatly started a brew which was forbidden by his tribe. It was only to be used at the worst times for it caused terrible side effects. It was used to raise the ghost masters of the dead lands to make the visible so that he could talk to them, but of course it was never an exact science what they would do when they became material in this world, the last time he used it half his town had been wiped out by flames and the other half suffered a plague which killed almost every person. But then it was different he had never used that potion before this time he knew and he would be more careful this time history would not reapeat itself.He threw the last ingredient into the pot and the brew turned a blueish colour just like it was supposed to, just like it had happened that time, he got his staff in one hand his sword in the other and he prepared for the worse....

Logged

There are only two unlimited things:The universe and human stupidity,and I'm not so sure about the universe.

Jericho turned about and looked deeply in Mona's evey purring fiercly. He began to lick one of his paws, pausing momentarily to look up at her, he stated ".... And if it was would you believe yourself mad? "

Mona looked at the cat for a long time. Finally, she said, "No. This isn't bad enough to be madness." She got out of bed. Trying to go back to sleep was pointless, she knew. It wasn't quite dawn yet. She looked out of the window. Her house was off by itself, and that suited her. Sometimes she screamed in her sleep, and she wasn't anxious for anyone to know that. But she could see most of the houses in the village. At the other end, in another secluded house, she could just make out a dim blue glow. She didn't know the fellow who lived there, but she was aware of the fact that he was considered almost as crazy as she was. But the glow bothered her. "Jericho... the fellow who lives at the other end of town is doing something odd and I don't think it's good." She picked the cat up and brought him over to the window so he could see.

Golden Tears Mistress was irritated. Very irritated. Who has such audacity to summon me? she thought to herself, slowly gathering dust and matter around her to become visible in the Mortal World. Before her stood a sorceror of some sort, by appearance a barbarian. Golden Tears Mistress sighed, holding up a ghostly iron mirror to check her makeup and smooth the folds of her iridescent black silk kimono and then instantly becoming visible to the eyes of the shaman. "Who dares to summon the consort of First and Night-Crowned Wolf, He Who Is A Thousandfold, the Lord and Master of the Underworld?" she said, sounding insulted, imperious, and scornful.

Mona picked up Jericho and settled him on her shoulder where he liked to ride. She slipped out into the grey pre-dawn and made her way across the village to the fellow's house. He'd apparently finished what he was up to. As Mona cautiously approached, she caught a glimpse of a lady. She gasped. "Jericho..." she whispered. "I've seen that lady in the nightmares I have."

OOC: Yeah, I guess. That works. Better than in "Abandon Hope", because Kassil was driving that.

Through the window, Mona could see the woman and a strange robed man, seemingly arguing over a pot of bubbling blue liquid. The then reached her hand through the man's body, tearing out a bloody object barely recognizable as a heart.--------------------Golden Tears Mistress smiled, casting the heart to the ground with a sickening splat. "Foolish living one." she said, slowly turning to the window to look upon the Living Lands again. But who was that?

((OOC: Well, that works. Even if it was a little more severe than I had in mind. If he wants back in, well, half the characters are dead, aren't they?))

Mona recoiled in horror as the lady killed the man. Then she realized that the lady was looking straight at her. Mona took two steps back involuntarily. Part of her wondered if it was a hallucination or a waking nightmare. Another part of her was thinking that she needed to go straight back to her own house and lock herself in. All she knew for sure was that she couldn't tell anyone. They'd dismiss her as mad straight out. Caught between hoping it was only another nightmare and wondering if she should be running, Mona just froze.

Golden Tears Mistress stared coldly at the girl. I know this one. She is the one my Master has told me about, the one with the link to our world. First and Forsaken Wolf has talked about her. He wants her. She could be useful. But wait, what if...No. No. First and Night-Crowned Wolf would never have a mortal over me. She drifted through the wall of the cottage, floating towards Mona.